Are you ready to take your genealogical studies one step further?  Jennifer Harrison invites you to Adopt a Source.  Select from your family history a document or series of records some item/s which would take your investigations further and then forensically discover its origins and quirks – extend your family history research skills to the documentation.  Get to know it thoroughly, the how, the when, the where, and especially, the why and by whom the material was created; what it was meant to achieve and any limitations to information or ‘questions not asked’ which might be revealed by its columns or on its pages.  Keep at it until you become an expert on those papers/registers.

Ultimately you may give a presentation to the Society – write an article for the Journal or assist other researchers by explaining the valuable reasons for using that resource.  When you have acquired and polished your expertise – and extended your education – eventually move on to yet another field of investigation.

Many members of GSQ have found great satisfaction in exploring and becoming thoroughly acquainted with records on which they depend to provide dynamite to demolish brick walls.  For example, Margaret Doherty just loves discovering details about Australian World War 1 nurses. Bobby Edes has a very friendly relationship with copious resources available in Northern Ireland. Ailsa Corlett is so involved in her Scottish background we swear a strong brogue often can be heard.  I personally ‘know’ hundreds of the convicts transported to Moreton Bay, simply ‘devour’ immigrant ships to Queensland between 1848 and 1921 and never start me on Colonial Secretaries.  Ask us to talk about them and we just cannot resist telling you about the effects of flood, fire or even mouse or termite plagues on the old registers or papers while exulting in the wealth of treasures which have been so carefully maintained and made readily available to us by our favourite repositories.

In this presentation Jennifer points out the many personal (and extended) joys which come from developing these talents which result in wonderful benefits not only for your own but other people’s research.  Come along and explore new learning adventures.

Presenter:
Dr Jennifer Harrison

Jennifer Harrison is a Research Fellow with the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at The University of Queensland. Over the years while writing and publishing, lecturing and researching, she served on the John Oxley Library Committee, the Queensland State Archives Public Records Review Committee, testified at the Senate enquiry for the retention of census material, undertook two overseas trips of Heritage Retrieval for the State Library, became a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland and the Federation of Historical Societies, was elected a life member of Brisbane History Group and most proudly continues as patron of GSQ.

Tickets will close at 3pm Friday 4^th Aug 2023

Link will be sent out after 4pm Friday 4^th Aug 2023

This event will be recorded and made available for those that have purchased tickets for the following month to view.